The Crowds Descend

TOKYO - If the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) was open to the public on select days, this is probably how crowded it would get. We're talking mosh pit with all the people trying to move in separate directions. More than one person got pushed over entirely.

All the empty space from yesterday was filled to the brim with people today. The crowd was a varied bunch, with a lot of people in costume as their favorite game characters, including Nakaruru from Samurai Shodown, Lina Inverse from Slayers, and Sakura from Sakura Taisen. Come to think of it, it was mostly girls. And, to the disappointment of a few, no Aya from Parasite Eve (at least, not that we saw).

However, population-wise, some of the areas of the show weren't half-bad, but one section in particular, between Square, Tecmo, and Sega, was really congested. In general, people en masse huddled around the most important areas of the show, including Sega, Tecmo, Square, Sony, Namco, Capcom, and Konami booths.

Coming back on the JR train line was also an experience. Many people were waiting in line to grab a ticket from one of several automated ticket machines, with more boarding outgoing trains.

And, as if that weren't enough, the Makuhari Messe halls were littered with a lot of trash, typically in the form of unwanted brochures. Needless to say, when all is said and done on the third day of show, this place is going to be destroyed.

So check out our additional stories for today, and we'll see you tomorrow with a final wrap-up report and another installment of the Japan Diary.